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Beach Fire Station in Works

Selectmen Start Talks with Precinct

By Patrick Cronin

Hampton Union, Tuesday, October 6, 2009

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]

HAMPTON — Selectmen are eying constructing of a new beach fire substation on land that is owned by the Hampton Beach Village Precinct.

The board met with precinct commissioners Monday night to inform them Fire Chief Chris Silver is recommending the new substation be constructed behind the current headquarters on Ashworth Avenue.

Selectmen told the commission the reason for the meeting was to get everyone on the same page as it moves forward with putting forward a warrant article to voters in March to move the headquarters to Winnacunnet Road.

Commissioners did not publicly comment on the recommended location other than to say they were willing to work with the town. They noted any decision regarding land owned by the precinct would have to be decided by their voters.

Silver told both boards they reviewed five potential sites for the new substation at the beach.

Sites that were eliminated due to impact on the department's response time were locations on Church Street and Island Path.

The department, he said, had also considered an addition to the police station, but decided it would not be economically feasible.

Silver said the two best locations were the town parking lot on Ashworth Avenue or the precinct parking lot on Brown Avenue.

Silver said he is recommending the precinct lot because of the solar advantage of having the ramps for the new station facing the south side. The other location doesn't receive as much sunlight and, as a result, ice takes longer to melt.

Silver said the precinct would lose 27 parking spaces.

He noted those spaces could be restored when the century-old fire station at the beach is removed.

Precinct commissioners decided to allow the town to conduct test borings on the precinct lot.